>> Friday, January 02, 2009

Light wintry mix continues to push through the region. Numerous traffic accidents have been reported in the northwest Piedmont up into the foothills and mountains. Some of the biggest issues look to be some minor glazing on bridges and overpasses around the Triad viewing region.

For the next hour or two, if you do not have to be out on area roadways, it is probably a good idea to stay inside.

This is a very short-duration event, and conditions will rapidly improve by lunchtime.

Above is today's edition of the Carolina Weather Video.....give it a look.

Some light precip is working through the region this morning. Light rain will mix with some sleet pellets or snow flakes in some spots, but none of this will be a big deal due to the very light nature of the precipitation.

Our next system will roll through Sunday and bring some rain chances. Then, the next system, a more significant one, will roll through Tuesday. There remain a ton of question marks with that system, and frankly, the computer models are still all over the place with their handling of it. The European models continues to show an all-rain scenario. However, the GFS has been trending a bit colder with the system the past few runs, and taken verbatim, the 6z GFS shows wintry precip for much of the western Carolinas, at least for a period Tuesday morning.

So, no real changes here on this system. There remains at least some chance of at least a little bit of wintry precip with that system, but how great a chance that is, I just don't know yet. We will see....

>> Thursday, January 01, 2009

Thanks so much to all of you for stopping by my little spot on the internet. I appreciate each and every one of you, and I am excited about embarking into the new year.

And thank you for watching us all on News 14 Carolina. It is a tremendous privilege to serve you, and we look forward to a great 2009.

In terms of the weather, I still think a little light precip will fall around the region tomorrow, but light is the key word. It just doesn't look too significant right now. And, there continues to be a lot of volatility in the modeling for next week's system. Right now, the models are showing rain, and that is probably the most likely scenario. However, I will not give up on wintry weather possibilities just yet. It is all a matter of timing, and until that gets resolved, I wouldn't rule out anything.

>> Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Both literally (as winds today will be very gusty...gusting over 35-40mph at times in the Piedmont...over 60mph at times in the mountains), and figuratively, as the weather pattern we are entering is one loaded with potential. See the video below, and then I will discuss it further below the video.

The windy conditions today are due to an arctic airmass moving into the region. Temperatures will fall this afternoon, and it will be chilly if you will be outside for New Year's Eve festivities this evening. Temps by midnight will likely be in the lower 30s to upper 20s. Lows tonight will bottom out in the lower 20s for most.

A sunny and chilly New Year's Day is on tap with highs in the low to possibly mid 40s.

We are still watching our little system for Friday. Whatever precip can mange to fall before lunching Friday could be wintry in nature, but at this point, and precip looks to be very light, and this, at least right now, just does not look like a big deal.

Another system will bring rain chances to our area Sunday. Then things get really interesting.

Cold air will begin to drain in here Monday, and that sets us up for what could be something more significant in the wintry weather department. Let me say...right now, this is still in the realm of 'fantasy' and 'potential.' However, the GFS has been on board with this idea for several runs now. The Euro model handles things differently, holding the energy back in the Southwest US much longer than the GFS. While that might be the correct solution, that wreaks of a known Euro bias.

All of this could change, but right now, the potential is there for wintry precip in the Carolinas Tuesday. We will see how things unfold.

I will try to post some thoughts from time to time either here on the main column or on the Twitter feed. I am off tomorrow, but I will be back on the air again Friday morning.

>> Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Above is today's edition of the Carolina Weather Video.

Fantastic weather will unfold today with lots of sun and highs up toward the lower 60s. However, weather changes are on our doorstep, and an arctic cold front will move through early tomorrow. Behind that front, it will be a very blustery day tomorrow with northwest winds gusting in excess of 25 or 30mph at times. Highs temps tomorrow will likely occur around the middle of the day with falling afternoon temps.

For all of the New Year's Eve festivities, it will be chilly but dry. Temps should fall through the 30s tomorrow evening and possibly into the upper 20s by around midnight.

New Year's Day will be sunny and chilly with highs in the low to mid 40s for most.

I am still watching Friday's system. It is still possible that a little light wintry precip could work into portions of the Piedmont early Friday, but I stress the word light. It looks like any wintry precip would be brief and light and not a big deal. Some rain will round out Friday afternoon.

The weekend looks mainly dry with temps not too far from normal for this time of year.

Next week, I expect a big system to swing through Tuesday or Wednesday brining a healthy shot of rain. Behind that, the floodgates of arctic air will likely be open. From that point on, I think odds are we are in a rather cold and at least occasionally stormy pattern for a week or two. No details as of yet. See the video for more information on all of our upcoming weather.

And thanks to all of you who have participated in my little snow contest. The deadline to get your forecast in is tomorrow evening. Remember, the forecast site is the Charlotte airport, and you are forecasting whether or not measurable snow will occur this winter, and if so, on what day.

>> Monday, December 29, 2008

This morning, we have clouds and some showers lingering around the region. However, sunshine will return by this afternoon, and we will have a regular old sunny day for tomorrow....will be a nice site.

Temps will be pretty mild today and tomorrow with some lower 60s in place. However, a colder airmass moves in by Wednesday, and New Year's Day looks chilly with highs in the mid 40s at best. Lows for the first morning of 2009 will be way down in the 20s. Some snow showers will likely occur up in the High Country by Wednesday morning as well.

We are keeping an eye on Friday. Our next system will approach, and we will have a chilly and dry airmass in place Friday morning. If the rain arrives early Friday, then we might see a brief period of freezing rain Friday morning. It does not look like a huge deal right now, but we will watch it.

I am getting pretty confident that we will see a big-time arctic blast of air arrive by around the 8th or 9th, and the mid-month period looks pretty cold as a whole across the eastern US.